Saying that the combined size of China's two active aircraft carriers is not as large as one British aircraft carrier is a bit too arrogant. They seem to have forgotten the pain of being defeated in history. In 1949, our People's Liberation Army was able to severely damage the British ship HMS Ashworth with coastal artillery. Today, if Britain really wants to engage in a sea battle with us, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will make sure their aircraft carriers won't return. It took Britain four years to finally get their second aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, to a usable state. After setting sail from Plymouth Port at the end of April for the Asia-Pacific region, some British media began to hype it up extensively.
The US-Japan Telegraph actually said that the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers of the Chinese Navy are no match for the HMS Prince of Wales. The US-Japan Telegraph specifically emphasized that this time there is an Astute-class attack nuclear submarine accompanying them, claiming that its other heavy torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles could sink many Chinese warships. The British media still emphasizes that the HMS Prince of Wales carries two squadrons of F-35B, which are the most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighters. Compared with China's J-15 carrier-based aircraft, they have a generational advantage. The F-35B is equipped with the ANASQ239 integrated processor and the ANAPG81 active phased array radar. It can also carry AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles and AIM-132 close-combat missiles. Its air combat capability is indeed impressive. If it is equipped with AGM-158C or NSM anti-ship missiles in the future, its offensive capabilities would be quite formidable. Besides the advanced carrier-based aircraft, British media also say that the British aircraft carrier can amplify its own combat effectiveness by leveraging the bases of its allies in the Asia-Pacific region and within the powerful American combat system. This makes the Chinese aircraft carriers even less of a match.
Of course, we cannot deny that the F-35B does have certain advantages, but it also has fatal disadvantages. Its maneuverability and range are major issues. The F-35B is essentially a Marine Corps variant, designed as a fire support aircraft during landings. Of course, when smaller countries cannot afford proper carrier-based aircraft, they use it as such. The F-35B indeed has vertical and short take-off and landing capabilities, but precisely to achieve these capabilities, the design results in a complex structure and increased weight, forcing it to sacrifice some maneuverability. The F-35B's short range is well-known. Lockheed Martin gives an operational radius data of 833 kilometers, but based on actual usage by the U.S. and other countries without aerial refueling, its operational radius is only about 500 to 600 kilometers. Our destroyer fleet in the Chinese aircraft carrier group has strong stealth target detection capabilities, which is something we have particularly emphasized and built upon in recent years.
With the support of our fleet, our J-15 carrier-based aircraft can effectively counter the F-35B. Moreover, the J-15 has an operational radius of around 1000 kilometers, making it difficult for the F-35B to approach our aircraft carrier battle group. If our future J-35 carrier-based aircraft can be deployed and the Fujian aircraft carrier enters service, it could basically suppress the F-35B. Another issue is where Britain would engage us in a naval battle. If they come to the Asia-Pacific region, they may not even see our aircraft carriers before being taken out by our anti-ship ballistic missiles and powerful surface vessels.
Regarding Britain, they boast about their alliance system. But let's assume that we reach a naval battle决战 level. Who in the Asia-Pacific region would dare to allow Britain to use their bases? The comparison of naval power between China and Britain is already clear. The tough talk from British media reflects their arrogance and anxiety, somewhat like whistling while walking at night to boost their courage. However, Britain's military strength will become part of American military power, objectively bringing us military pressure. We must be prepared for this.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498287603867812364/
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